Hard Rocking with a Bovine

The long weekend was just starting and the Bovine Sex Club was ready for business. I was there to see a hard progressive band from Scotland, I believe everyone else was there to shed off their workplace dreariness and begin to feel alive again. What I didn’t know was that there were three opening bands to sit through. I was feeling tired before the show had begun.

First up, we had a band called Outer Rooms. There hard rocking style was to push the limits to the outer rim, and did impress me on the first song, “Keeping up appearances”. Their hard rocking output was mixed with a bouncy pop infusion that kept the audience engaged. I was engaged when they sang a strange song about Jesus. Well it is Easter weekend after all.

Just when you thought the first band threw you a little weirdness, the next band, Parliament Owls, went kamikaze on your senses. They also were proud of their heavy Rocking sounds, but they were wonderfully confusing with the amount of music genres they could fit into one song. It just wasn’t just one song it was their entire set. You could hear heavy rock, pop influences, random clapping and even death metal filled with guttural urges. The funny thing was if you couldn’t see the band, you would swear there was a band dressed in black and had scary make up on. Instead you got a high energy singer that had a cool charm about him. So if you ever want to see a band that has more changes than our Canadian weather go see, Parliament Owls.

Grey Eyes were up next and clearly had a dedicated following already. The drinks were being poured a little faster and the audience was swaying a little too much. I even had a guy offer me an extra beer that he had. I turned him down because I was doing my job, so he kissed me on the cheek instead. The band showed off their sacrificial lamb before they began to rock out. Did I mention this was the Easter long weekend? Oh the debauchery and holy imagery in one place was enough to keep you there to the end. The bass player had long hair and flipped it like a pro. The lead singer looked like a rugged lumberjack or a guy who can really grow his playoff beard. They had a more straight forward way of rocking and the crowd loved it. I asked the singer about his beard after the show, and he mentioned there was nothing wrong with lumberjacks because they were into wood. I would agree.

Now, finishing of this evening was whom I was waiting for, Atlas:Empire .They are a modern hard rock progressive rock band from Scotland. Their set was solid and tight throughout. There was a lot of energy and passion that was going on as they urged the audience to get closer, and we did. Since we had a very warm day and a packed house, the guitar player stripped himself of his shirt and didn’t care if we were horrified or thrilled. He needed to cool down. I believe this is the bands third trek over the pond to Toronto. The first time they were here was one and a half years ago, they had one paying fan. Now they are packing it at the Bovine. I told the next time they come; we are going to need a bigger venue. They finished off with a very sonic ending that made you want more. Bigger venue here they come!